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Dr. Altman, Veterinarian

Category: Dog Veterinary

Satisfied Customers: 12827

Experience: Practicing small animal veterinarian for 18 years.

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My dog, seems to be drinking more water than usual & not

Customer Question

My dog, seems to be drinking more water than usual & not eating as much as usual. She got out on the weekend and the people who found her fed her wet food & too much of it. She only eats dry food at home. She had diarrhea & vomiting for a day or so. Yesterday seemed like the first time her bowels were solid. Could she still be sick from Saturday (almost a week)?

Welcome to Justanswer! I am Dr. Altman and happy to assist you both today!

So sorry to hear Missy is not feeling well, yes she can still be ill from the stress of getting out and being fed a different diet than normal for her.

The question is whether the increased water intake is related to the diarrhea and likely dehydration and will subside on its own in 24 hours or whether there is something else going on that is going to require further investigation.

A few things to do overnight and if there is no change I would consider a veterinary exam before the weekend where there is potential for a veterinary er visit...

- Pepcid (famotidine) 0.25 mg/ pound every 12 hours for a few days at least 30 minutes prior to meals- Mix white rice and lean boiled meat such as chicken to her meals reducing her regular meals 25%. This is a bland diet, yet bulking and appetite stimulant as well. In addition, add water to the food for a few days to help aid in rehydration. Please no chicken or beef broth which is high in salt and can exacerbate her symptoms

If she is not feeling better or is worse in the next 24 hours please consider having your veterinarian evaluate her in the morning. She could have gotten into something while out or is simply affected by the stress of the events last week and sometimes medical management is necessary to get her back to normal

Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance to you both today. I hope Missy is feeling better soon!

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